Traveling with your Dog or Boarding your Dog

When you’re planning a vacation, deciding whether or not to bring your dog with you can be a tough call. Bringing her along means you don’t have to worry about her being taken care of, but traveling with a dog does come with some challenges. Before making a decision between planning a dog-friendly trip or choosing dog boarding, take the following factors into consideration.

Transportation

How are you getting to where you’re going? If you’re flying, your dog might have to go in the cargo section, which means the two of you will be separated for the duration of the flight. This could be especially stressful if your dog is the nervous type. Smaller dogs can usually fly with their owners in the cabin, but they typically have to be kept in a carrier.

If you’re driving, you’ll need to add extra time to get to your destination to allow for frequent stops with your dog. She’ll need to get out and walk around from time to time and have a chance to eliminate.

Accommodations

If you’re visiting family, bringing your dog along shouldn’t be a problem. If you’re staying at a hotel, though, you’ll need to find one that allows dogs. There’s also the problem of what to do with your dog when you want to get out and do some sightseeing during the day. Leaving her alone in your room isn’t ideal, and some hotels don’t allow dogs to be left unattended for any length of time.

Dog Boarding

Dog boarding offers a great alternative to traveling with your pet. When you board your dog, you won’t have to deal with paying extra fees on airline tickets or spending more time driving to your destination. You also don’t have to worry about making sure you’ve packed everything your dog needs for traveling, such as food, bowls, a bed, medical records, toys and other items. Your hotel choices also won’t be limited, and you don’t have to miss out on spending an entire day sightseeing.

Dog boarding provides you with a way to make sure your dog is looked after during your trip. She’ll be fed meals on a regular basis, allowed to play with other dogs, taken for walks and even groomed. That means you can have a worry-free vacation, while your dog gets to enjoy having tons of playtime and meeting some new friends.